Payday Can Be Fab Instead of Drab in These Quirky Bank Ads

Chime adds some charm to mobile banking

Chime is one of many banking apps that have cropped up in recent years to win over millennials who’ve become leery of the more traditional, brick-and-mortar institutions that their parents are accustomed to. In its first national ad push, San Francisco-based Chime is hoping to set itself apart from other newcomers by letting potential customers know that payday can come a few days early for those who decide to use its services.

Created by barrettSF, the two 30-second ads feature young people plugging Chime’s Early Direct Deposit feature, which—you guessed it—dishes out paychecks up to two days early. According to the bank’s website, it’s able to do this by “making the money available as soon your employer deposits it—which is often up to two days before most other traditional banks make the funds available to you.”

In one of the spots, airing on broadcast TV, digital, and social, a clothing store employee excitedly explains to his coworker that his paycheck now arrives earlier thanks to Chime. As he regales his colleague with the wonders of Chime while they fold t-shirts, a pair of arms pops out of one of the shirts in question to act as a brand spokesperson of sorts, giving high-fives, thumbs up and delightfully awkward handshakes to the two men.

Another ad features a woman whose life has apparently drastically improved since she started using Chime, a point that’s visually illustrated via her living room, which has made a stunning transformation from a gray, dull space to a vibrant and colorful one.

According to Chime, its mobile-first approach has helped it garner 1.7 million bank accounts since launching in 2014, and it expects that number to rise to two million by the end of the year. Earlier this year, it raised $70m in Series C financing, bringing its total funding to more than $110 million. In addition to early paydays, the company also prides itself on scrapping things like overdraft fees, minimum balance requirements and other hallmarks of old-school banks.

“Chime has built a brand that is loved by its members and has grown to 1.7 million bank accounts largely through word-of-mouth and referrals,” said Chime CEO Chris Britt. “We are excited to launch our first national ad campaign, amplify our message and inspire more people to make the switch from traditional fee-driven banks.”